Dinabandhu Mitra

“ We are born women, and cannot even go out to walk in the garden; we are unable to walk out in the city; can by no means form clubs for general good; we have no Colleges nor Courts, nor Brahma Samajs of our own; we have nothing of our own, to compose the mind, when it is once disturbed; and, moreover, we can never blame a woman when she feels any disquietude. O my Lord, we have only one to depend upon,—the husband is the object of the wife’s thought, of her understanding, her study, her acquisition, her meeting, her society; in short, this jewel—the husband—is all to a virtuous woman. ”

“ No writer of Bengal could do it so well as he did. I have seen many an Aduri exactly of the type he has created, I have seen many a Naderchand and many a Hemchand who are prototypes of his creations. I have seen many a Mallika, too—each one the same blooming 'Mallika' of Dinabandhu. Like a trained sculptor or painter Dinabandhu would make his characters in the image of living ideals before him. If ever he saw an ape in human shape seated on the tree of the society, he would pick up his brush and portray him from his crown to the end of his tail. ”

“ Our youngest Bou, she is a girl; good clothes and beautiful ornaments are objects of pleasure to her. What understanding has she now? What does she know of family business. As our young Bipin cries when his neck-lace is taken from him in play, so our youngest Bou weeps when her ornaments are taken away. Oh, oh! am I formed so mean-spirited a man? Am I to be so cruel a robber? Shall I deceive a young girl? This can never be, as long as life exists. The worthless Indigo Planters even cannot commit such a crime. ”

“ In the place, where I have opened the letter of my dear Lord, I have spent nearly a fourth part of the day. The fickleness of the exterior part has now gone into the heart. As, on the boiling of the rice, the froth rising up makes the surface quiet, but the rice within is agitated; so am I now. I have not that smiling face now. A sweet smile is the wife of happiness; and so soon as happiness dies, the sweet smile goes along with it. My Lord, when thou shalt prove successful, every thing shall be preserved; if I am to see your face disquieted, all sides will be dark unto me. ”

“ O my Mother Earth! separate yourself that I may enter into you. In my life I never suffered such an insult. O, oh!
Gopi. Babu Nobin, better go home, no use of making fuss.
Nobin. Sadhu, call on God, He is the only support of the helpless.
(Nobin Madhab goes away.) Wood. Thou slave of the slave. Take him to the Factory, Dewan, and give him the advance according to rule.
(Wood goes away.) Gopi. Sadhu, come along to the Factory. Does the Saheb forget his words?
Now ashes have fallen on your ready-made rice; the Yama [7] of Indigo has attacked you, and you have no safety. ”

“ Does the Saheb know everything about land? This fool goes about like a revengeful dog; when he sees any good piece of land, he immediately gives notice of it to the Saheb. The Saheb has no want of money, and he has no need for borrowing money on credit. Then, why is it that the fool does so; if he has to cultivate Indigo, let him do so; let him buy oxen; let him prepare ploughs; if he cannot guide the plough himself, let him keep men under him. What want have you of lands? Why not cultivate the village from end to end? We stand ready to help in the cultivation. ”

“ Wood. You are afraid. Did I not tell you at first, you are very ignorant? No work is to be done through you.
Gopi. Saheb, what signs of fear hast thou seen in me? When I have entered on this Indigo profession, I have thrown off all fear, shame, and honor; and the destroying of cows, of Brahmins, of women, and the burning down of houses are become my ornaments, and I now lie down in bed keeping the jail as my pillow (thinking of it) .
Wood. I do not want words, but works.
Sadhu Ray, the Amin, and the two Servants enter, making salams. Why are this wicked fool’s hands bound with cords? ”

“ Oh young Bou, take hold of our mother-in-law; let me once see the Lord of my life, in the fulness of my heart. (Sits near the mouth of Nobin.
Priest. (To Soirindri.) My daughter, thou art a great lover of thy husband, a woman of constancy; the frame of thy body was created in a good moment. For one who is so entirely devoted to her husband, and who has every thing good on her part, Fortune may give life to her husband again; he is moving his eyes, serve him without fear. Sadhu, remain here till our madam be in her senses. ”

“ What a surprising power of attraction silver has? The detestable Judas gave the great Preacher of the Christian religion, Jesus, into the hands of odious Pilate for the sake of thirty rupees; what wonder then, if the proprietors of two newspapers, becoming enslaved by the hope of gaining one thousand rupees, throw the poor helpless people of this land into the terrible grasp of your mouths. But misery and happiness revolve like a wheel, and that the sun of happiness is about to shed his light on the people of this country, is becoming very probable. ”

“ Sabitri. Don't look on my child; I forbid you—you destroyer of your husband. I see, your death is very near. (Goes a little towards her) .
Saralota. Ah! how very cruel are the formidable arms of Death? Ah! Yama! You gave so much pain to my honest mother-in-law.
Sabitri. Calling again! Calling again! (Takes hold of Saralota's neck by her two hands, and throws her down on the ground.) Thou stupid, beloved of Yama! Now will I kill thee (stands upon her neck) . Thou hast devoured my husband; again, thou art calling your paramour to swallow my dear infant. Die, die, die, die now! ”

“ Having brought one of a strange caste, I am become unable to preserve propriety. My eldest Babu! preserve me; my life is on the point of bursting out. Bring me Khetromani; bring me my puppet of gold.
Sabitri. These destroyers can do all things. Ye are taking by force the pieces of ground of men, their grain, their kine and calves. By the force of clubs, ye are cultivating Indigo, and the people are doing your work with cries and sobbings.
Reboti. My mother! I am preparing the Indigo, taking only half the food. Those bigahs which they had marked, on them I worked. ”

“ The slipper was symbolic of the nation's reply to the atrocities of the Indigo planters. Never in his life did Ardhendu Sekhar receive better appreciation of his histrionic skill.
These two incidents help to show the two aspects of this powerful drama. Obviously it could both bite and rouse. It is no mean drama that can, on the one hand, draw British swords out of their scabbards, and on the other, slippers off the feet of righteously indignant countrymen.
Nil Darpan is indeed a magic mirror which reflects two faces: the face of the tyrant, and the face of the aggrieved victim of tyranny. ”

“ Bindu Madhab brought the Inspector with him, and it is his desire, that all with one mind try to establish the school. But observing the unfortunate state of the country, he was obliged to keep his design to himself; how very mild, quiet, good-natured, and wise is he become now! Wisdom in younger years is as beautiful as the fruits in a small plant. In reading of the sorrow which my brother has expressed in his letter even the hard stone is melted and the heart of the Indigo Planter would become soft. ”

“ Wilt thou not speak any more, my daughter? Oh! Oh! Oh! (Weeps) .
Physician. Her end is very near.
Sadhu. Ray Churn, take hold of her, take hold of her (Sadhu Churn and Ray Churn take Khetromony from the bed, and go outside) .
Reboti. I cannot leave my Laksmi of gold to float on the water. Where shall I go? Had she lived with the Saheb, that would have been better. I would have remained at rest by seeing her face. My daughter! Oh, Oh, Oh! (Goes behind Khetro, slapping herself) .
Physician. I die; I die; I die! What pains does the mother bear; it is good not to have a child. ”

“ Oh mother, my desire is that my husband be happy in a future state in the same proportion as he had suffered misery in this. My Lord, I, your bond-maid, will pray to God for life; thou wast most virtuous, the doer of great good to others and the supporter of the poor. The Great Lord of the Universe, who provides for the helpless, must give you a place. Ah! take me, my Lord, with thee, that I may supply thee with the flowers for the worship of God. Ah! what loss! what ruin! I see that Rama is going to the wilderness leaving his Sita alone. ”

“ Sadhu. Sir, do you call this giving advances for Indigo; would it not be better to call it the cramming down Indigo? [5] Oh! my Ill-fortune, you are still with me. That very blow through fear of which I fled, I have to bear again. This land was as the Kingdom of Rama before Indigo was established; but the ignorant fool is become a beggar, and famine has come upon the land.
Amin. (To himself observing Khetromani.) This young woman is not bad-looking; if our younger Saheb can get her, he will, with his whole heart, take her. ”

“ I do not see a single person in this large house; but a person of a different caste and of another village, is weeping near the Babu. Ah! the poor man is a day-labourer, and his very hand is cut off. Why is his face all daubed over with blood?
Sadhu. When the young Saheb struck his hand with the sword, like an ichneumon making a noise when its tail is cut off, he in agony from the pain of hand flew off after seizing with a bite the nose of the elder Saheb. ”

“ Sabitri. What anarchy is this! Did you inform Sadhu of this?this?
Reboti. No, my mother. He is already become mad on account of the Indigo; again, if he hear this, will he keep quiet? Through excessive anger he will rather smite his head with the axe.
Sabitri. Very well, I shall make this known to Sadhu, through my husband; you need not say anything. What misfortune is this! The Indigo Planters can do anything. Then why do I hear it generally said, that the Sahebs are strict in dispensing justice. Again, my son Bindu Madhab speaks much in praise of them. ”

“ We cannot wonder that a press habituated to such free-speaking as that of India should fall foul of Sir Mordaunt Wells. But Indian journalists ought to know better than to dream that a judge could be, or ought to be, recalled because he has delivered a foolish charge. We heartily wish that Anglo-Indians would get rid of the pernicious notion—one of the very worst triumphant in America—that an official who displeases popular critics is to be immediately turned out of his office. The independence of judges is of more consequence than the imprisonment or release of a thousand missionaries. ”

“ Podi. It is the degenerate Amin who is ruining the country. Is it through my own choice that I am levelling the axe at my feet, by giving the young women to the Saheb? Oh to think of the club which Rai (Ray Churn) , lifted against me that day! If it were not for Sadhuda, the day would have proved my last. Ah, it bursts my heart when I see the face of Khetromany. Have I no feeling of compassion, because I have made a paramour my companion? Whenever she sees me still, she comes to me, calling me Aunt, Aunt! Can the mother, with a firm heart, give such a golden deer into the grasp of the tiger? ”

“ Ah! the face of my son, like unto that of gold, is blackened; what great troubles for the collection of money! Wandering about without rest, his brain is become like a whirl-pool. Lest I give away the ornaments of the Bous, my son encourages me, saying, My mother, what want of money? What large sum will be necessary for this case? How shall my child grieve, if my ornaments be given in mortgage for our suit on small portions of land! He says, as soon as I get a small sum of money, I shall immediately bring back the 55ornaments. My son has courage in his tongue and tears in his eyes. ”

“ His second ground for opposing the charge of libel was that the publication was a drama, and not a pamphlet, and by every principle of propriety, usage, and custom no other character but that of a fiction could be assigned to a drama. He could not deny that there were atrocious characters such as Wood and Rose, represented in the play, but the jury's dramatical experience would teach them that every play had its evil genius. Because a certain barrister, clergyman or merchant is a scoundrel of the deepest dye, is that a reason that all barristers, clergymen, and merchants are of the same stamp? ”

“ My mother is not so much afraid as my father is, she does not lose hope at once; with a firm mind she is now invoking God. My dear-eyed is become, as it were, the deer in my volcano; she is become mad with fear and anxiety. [6] Her father died in an Indigo Factory and her fear now, is lest the same happens to her husband. How many sides am I to keep quiet; is it proper to fly off with the whole family or, is it not right that to do good unto others is the highest virtue? ”